Customer reviews: Activity holidays in Slovenia

Here at Headwater we thrive on feedback from our customers. It's the only way we can continue to develop and, where necessary, improve our services and ensure our all holidays continue to be the best they can be.

Eveyone who travels with Headwater will be emailed a link to our post-holiday questionnaire where they can give us an honest assesment of all aspects of their all holiday - everything from how quickly we answer the phone to how clean the hotels were - plus, of course, an overall rating and comments about their all holiday.

Any feedback collected is posted straight to our website - totally unedited. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of our holidays, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers.

Headwater never fails to deliver in putting together a great cycling trip. The holidays offer wonderful variety in terms of the scenery, locations and things to see and do . They also provide places to stay which are varied , high in quality and usually with a unique charm. Added to this the level of service provided by the staff both at head office and the reps on site is first class. This explains why so many of us return to book with Headwater time and time again!

This is our third trip with Headwater. The organisation was excellent and the hotels all superbly located and of a good standard. We enjoyed the route immensely, cycling in beautiful countryside with a good mix of mountain and lowlands and coast with amazing scenery.

This was our 7th Headwater cycling holiday and by far the best in terms of overall satisfaction - cycling, routes, variety of countrysides(not circular), choice of hotels, prearranged dinner and personally arranged dinners. Previously we have booked gastronomic itineraries but this holiday surpassed our expectations.

This was a wonderful holiday, the best of several good holidays that we have done with Headwater. The variety of landscapes, routes, and hotels, taking us from the stunning landscapes of Lake Bled and the Julian Alps down through the plains of Friuli Venezia Giulia to the lagoons and coastal islands around Grado, with a variety of fascinating places to visit en route, provided for a wonderful experience. The cycling was superb - the majority on cycle tracks and lanes, with the sections on the Alpe-Adriatica long-distance route often being of a very high quality - sections are gradually being improved and tarmacked each year & hopefully it won't be too long before some of the remaining gravel sections are renewed. My anxieties concerning 'too steep uphill/too steep downhill/too long distances' proved totally unfounded. The local agent, Miroslav, was wonderful. His briefing was thorough, full of advice and illustrated with images on his laptop. We were able to easily contact him when necessary - as on the day that it looked as if thunderstorms and heavy rain forecast would continue into the afternoon, thus would making cycling difficult - he was able to advise on alternatives; in fact the B&B owner had already produced a train timetable and driven Gordon. to the station to show him the route & correct platform, how to get tickets etc - typical of the friendliness and help received throughout the trip. Miroslav also suggested and organised for us to spend a few hours in central Ljubljana before returning to the airport. We also took the train to Trieste from Udine, an interesting city and well worth the visit (having arrived in Udine earlier than expected, by train, the previous day). Thank you Headwater and Miroslav for setting up such a fantastic holiday!

This was a first rate cycling trip, with overnight stops at interesting places. Excellent weather helped tremendously and allowed full enjoyment of the amazing mountain scenery as we passed through the Julian Alps. With large sections of the route on an old railway line, it made for relatively easy cycling. The hotels were very varied but quality standards were consistently high. We enjoyed all the overnight stops but especially that in Palmanova, such a fascinating small town.
Having done several Headwater holidays over the years, we would give this holiday our highest marks for variety and quality.

Beautiful, varied scenery. Easy cycling most days and some fabulous places of interest, especially if interested in Roman history. The mosaics at Aquilea were fascinating and the audio guide was most interesting. The proprietors of the B @ B at Venzone were so helpful and kind. One of the valves on the tyre of our proved faulty and resulted in a flat tyre. They drove us to a neighbouring town to a cycle repair shop to try to get it fixed. Unfortunately it was a Monday, so all the shops were shut! Miroslav came to our rescue after a couple of hours.

Great holiday did not like the Hotel in Kobarid, we had a massive dining room no use to us, bed was really bad, toilet and shower of 2 star standard at best. You could not shower because there was no fixing for the shower head. The toilet had sealant around it like a two old kid had applied and the bath had been repaired such a bodge. bear pipes for radiator coming out of the floor chipped the tiles and a bath plug that did not fit the bath. Very very poor it was room 100. Breakfast was the worst of the hotels, evening meal was ok. This is probably the worst hotel for accommodation I stayed in Europe.

Headwater response

Dear Mr Bryant,
Thank you for taking the time to complete your post-holiday feedback. It sounds like you had a great holiday in Slovenia. We were however sorry to read of your disappointment with Hotel Hvala in Kobarid. With this in mind, we have reviewed the feedback received over the course of the summer and from this have made the decision to replace this hotel for the 2017 season. We hope you agree this improvement will continue to enhance this holiday for future customers.
In closing, we would like to thank you for your constructive comments and look forward to welcoming you on another of our holidays in the future.
Kind regards,
Headwater Customer Service Team

This was our third cycling holiday with Headwater. Our first and second were excellent, but this was the best ever. Indeed this holiday now sits on our list of best holidays ever.
Everything about the trip excelled. The bikes were new, comfortable and well set up. The hotels were all excellent, each offered a first class welcome and service. Whilst being very different, from large chain hotels to small family units typical of a B and B, each was special and offered a memorable experience. But most of all what made this holiday was the cycling. The Alp Adria trail is something to behold. 200 miles of dedicated cycle track. Track that is off road for most of the route and as wide as a country road. Because of this the cycling was stress free, and you were able to take in the magnificent countryside in all its glory. Starting in the mountains and finishing at sea level meant that a good proportion was downhill.
The scenery all the way was outstanding. From the mountains of Slovenia, Kranski Gora being particularly memorable. To the salt water marsh areas of Grado. The contrasts were astonishing. The towns passed through were every one interesting with their own history (ancient in most cases). Also very quiet which suited us. Even in July/August, you never felt like a tourist. You just fit in to their normal life.This meant that we were also afforded the opportunity to practice our languages (most spoke English when needed).
We added two days to the end of our trip in Venice. What can be said about Venice. NOthing except that it needs to be on everyones Bucket list.
Overall a fabulous trip, We recommend unreservedly to anyone contemplating a cycling holiday but are maybe not in the best of shape, right up to an experienced cyclist. There is something for everyone on this trip.
I hope this comment communicates how much we loved our holiday. Thank you Headwater for introducing us to this part of the world and to the Alp Adria trail. The rest of Europe, indeed the world should take a good long look at this piece of engineering,it should be a model to all and duplicated by all.
Chris and Liz, Cardiff

Headwater response

Dear Dr Wigham,
Thank you for taking the time to share your holiday experience with us, it sounds like you had a memorable holiday. I am sure your comments will inspire future customers to try this holiday and hope they enjoy it as much as you did.
Kind regards,
Headwater Customer Service team

Another fantastic Headwater cycling holiday! The scenery was amazing, hotels were all high quality and in excellent locations. The cycling was undemanding and very enjoyable, linking up lots of interesting and attractive places. We are already thinking about next year's holiday!

A perfect holiday for cycling softies, we loved the fact that most of it was on beautiful scenic paths, (we certainly wouldn't have enjoyed cycling on Italy's busy roads). We loved the days in between visiting historic villages and sites and really enjoyed the changing landscape as we descended from the alps in Slovenia to the coast in north east Italy. The handbook provided by Headwater was very useful when looking for things to do and visit on the non cycling days.

The ride down from Bled to Grado was a great trip. Except for the two short days at the end of the trip our days were full of wonderful scenery and beautiful towns. The majority of our hotels exceeded expectations being in great locations with good service and food. Stopover destinations were interesting and Udine, Palmanova and Grado were especial delights. Support from the Slovenian team was good and as usual the Headwater experience was one we will repeat.

Very good cycling with very few up-hill stretches, lots to see and do en route - we would gladly do the holiday again. Bikes were comfortable and easy to use. The routes are largely on cycle paths that kept us feeling safe from traffic. All the hotels made us feel very welcome. Everyone seemed to understand pidgin Italian or German, or English so communication was rarely a problem. M Tours reps were reliable and helpful.

Thoroughly enjoyed the holiday. Quite sad when it finished. Could easily have kept going
The routes were lovely, mostly on cycle tracks which was great and well planned mileages.
Especially enjoyed Slovenia. Would like to go back.
Hotels generally of a very good standard although next time we would make requests eg. for a quiet room or room with good outlook

Very well designed walking programme, with good notes and maps. All arrangements ran smoothly. Lovely country with friendly welcomes from all. Clean and well maintained paths. Beautiful flowers in the meadows even in late July. Very impressed that M Tours boss took the trouble to meet us and discuss our walking experiences. A memorable holiday, with an evening wedding in traditional costume at Bohinj, on our last night there,

Slovenia, even in high summer season, was relatively peaceful with fewer tourists than in other parts of the Alps. There were wonderful views on all the walks. There was a bit too much road walking on some days.

A break that takes you off the beaten track to meet the people who live in the region, rather than just other tourists. A holiday that slows you down to the speed you can cycle including the most amazing 60km down hill ride!

Overall an enjoyable experience, but our least favourite headwater holiday (our 5th). Why? Flights from Heathrow involved a very tight connection at Vienna which was from a different terminal and meant going through security there. Made the connection with less than 10 minutes to go before departure- very stressful! Hotels were a real mixture. Loved the Miklik hotel (fantastic staff and super room despite a few issues with a shortage of hot water for our very large bath) and Kranjska Gora - we would have happily stayed there all week. Room at the Hotel Jezero by the lake had a fantastic outlook but the shower had a cracked shower tray and no plug for the sink. Hotel Hvala - wonderful welcome and the room was huge but needs serious modernisation and new beds! Hotel Mangart - the fridge wasn't working (fixed the next day) and breakfast on the first morning was poor with disinterested member of staff. Much improved the following morning and got offered eggs and bacon (possibly by the manager). The transfers by M Tours were punctual and efficient- beware there was a strong smell of smoke in some, although none of the drivers smoked whilst we were travelling. We nearly missed the train connection as we were not told that we were travelling on a car transporter which was in the station some 25 minutes before departure time. We even asked the station master whilst the train was there... Luckily one of the men sitting in his car on the train shouted at us to get onboard realising we were with M tours This meant running about 80 metres with suitcases down the gravel track alongside the train to the one carriage where the conductor had to haul us up nearly 5 feet to get us and our luggage onboard as there was no platform!
Slovenia is lovely and the walking was of good 2 boots standard. Autumn was further advanced than in the UK and the weather was changeable so would advise going early September not at the end like we did. Considering Slovenia was very cheap, we thought the holiday was overpriced but presumably the number of transfers had a bearing on this.

We had an excellent holiday in Slovenia. We loved the countryside and enjoyed all the walks; the WW1 sites added a further interest. We particularly enjoyed our stays at the Miklic and Jezero hotels. We extended our holiday by 2 nights at Lake Bohinj, which is beautiful and had several walks to add, and a further 2 in Ljubljana and could recommend that as an option.

We have been on 3 previous Headwater holidays, but this one was the most enjoyable of them all. The cycling was wonderful, though it wouldnt suit those who dislike cycling mainly on flat terrain. The cycle paths much of the way to Grado were amazing and Italy in particular is very much geared towards the cyclist. The hotels ranged from quite posh to comfortable, located centrally and excellent. Four of the dinners were included in our holiday and were very good and not having to go and find somewhere to eat in those two hotels was a fortuitous because of the inclement weather. However we enjoyed having the freedom to find our own restaurants subsequently.
The tour operator was very reliable with excellent English.
The route notes were challenging and there were times when we were directed right instead of left. My husband has offered to 're-write' them since they could be modified to make it much less likely to have to retrace your pedaling.
On our second day, our tour guide asked us if we wanted to cycle because it was raining quite heavily with the forecast of no let up all day. I asked him if there was a choice and he offered to transport us to our next destination in the car. We had no idea that this was an option, but foolishly or not, we declined and arrived at our next hotel, very wet and bedraggled. However we were allocated the most wonderful room, with loads of space to dry off all our dripping clothing and bags. What a silver lining that was. Sadly we didnt see much of that day's route since the rain was relentless.
I would definitely like to do this trip again.

A selection of lovely, varied walks amid beautiful mountain scenery in an unspoilt area. Slovenia also has a fascinating if somewhat turbulent history and the route notes (and rest day booklet suggestions) included historical references which added to our enjoyment of the walks and area. If you enjoy turquoise rivers, watching rafting/kayaking/canoeing/fishing on them; are not worried by suspension bridges; like birdsong, butterflies and wildflowers (even in August) we think you would enjoy this holiday. High quality regional 'slow food' ( i.e.not processed) was delicious. The Slovenian people we met were welcoming, friendly and helpful. This was our eighth holiday with Headwater and we felt that the walking level was consistent with other two boot holidays we have taken with you.

Disappointed with the hiking trails in that there wasn't sufficient variety of environment and experience ( too much forest trail and tarmac)
Routes of reasonable length, would have preferred higher altitude experience . One route had an indistinct and hazardous section leading up to the road into Kobarid. This path needs repair and clearance ( potential for serious accident).
M tours staff excellent.

We had a very good room in hotel Jezero with 2 baloney's. However on the Saturday evening 13 June the hotel had a private function that consisted of very loud music right under our room which meant that we could not go to sleep until it was over. The music went on until 2.30 which is too late,.

Country and scenery superb - a real eye-opener! Walking on the challenging side of '2 boot'. The longest walk was actually easier than some of the shorter ones due to the terrain. There are places to stop on the way, you should take advantage.

Overall rate Slovenia Alps Adventure very highly. The Route notes need updating e.g Take the path to the right where the road changes from concrete to gravel. - In fact the path is where the road changes from concrete to tarmac - the tarmac has been there several years. One of many examples where the route notes were out of date. The route notes for Bovec to Kobarid directed us onto the road due to a land slip, the local guide told us the path was passable with care, we did not try this as we had both had bad backs prior to the trip and did not want any scrambling. However the other couple took the path and said the path was completely clear. The local guide should have known this. We walked 4 miles on a busy road because we were not told the path was clear.

This cycle trip from the Julian Alps to the Adriatic was really excellent - beautiful and varied countryside, interesting towns and cities on route, well-chosen hotels (and some excellent food) and a very good route using well established cycle track most of the way. The highlight for us was a couple of days cycling on the route of a former railway through the mountains of Slovenia and northern Italy. Miroslav and the team looked after us beautifully throughout. Thank you for a great holiday!

After several good walking holidays with Headwater, this was our first cycling holiday, suggested by experienced cycling friends who accompanied us. The route is mainly downhill, but there are some longish steady uphill climbs, and we calculated an average of 50km/day (exc. Rest days) and did 64km on one day. Some beautiful Slovenian/Italian mountain scenery (albeit rarely out of sight or sound of roads) is succeeded by some very interesting Italian town stopovers (Venzone, Udine, Palmanova) and stopping at Aquilieia's basilica is highly recommended.

A really great and varied cycling itinerary, including fantastic scenery, sites of historic interest and interesting museums. Mostly traffic free or along cycle paths, starting in the mountains and cycling through plains to the coast. Would recommend adding a couple of days at Lake Bled and exploring the area by bike and foot. The hotel there is lovely with friendly staff and excellent food and Slovenian wines (an education!). Varied accommodation, but all clean & comfortable and in the right locations for a well paced cycle ride. We really enjoyed ourselves and were fully relaxed at the end.

We were the first people on the Julian Alps holiday. We really enjoyed it. The concept is excellent, and achieved. We did find it quite hard, though we both cycle
(mountain bike) regularly. Some days were long, and hot. I think it was the hardest holiday we've done with you, though my husband thinks some days on the 'Discovering Secret Provence' holiday were harder, because there was more climbing. Don't think it would be for people who don't normally cycle ( though we are getting on a bit).
There was one day which couldn't be done as anticipated, because the cablecar didn't start running on the advertised date, so an alternative had been suggested, and arranged for us. I think this might not affect anyone else though; I think the cablecar starts this week.
Miroslav and Matej were really keen to help, and on the whole experience. Miroslav was a bit concerned that Locanda al Fogolar might not come up to our expectations as it isn't a hotel; but we loved it, and couldn't have been made more welcome, despite Fulvio having very little English, and us having very little Italian
We found that if you don't speak Italian, German is more useful than English in this part of Italy. English is fine in Slovenia.
Later in the year, it could get very hot; take plenty to drink.

Slovenia is a lovely country. The walking could be a bit more challenging in the hills rather than predominantly in the valleys, but to an extent that is a result of the risk management around the holiday. The walks were a good length generally and the notes were good enough if you use the map and ask locals where there is any doubt - for example the 'suspension bridge' noted to cross to avoid the landslide between Bovec and Kobarid was actually a concrete road bridge, and in fact we used the 'closed' route from Bovec to Kobarid anyway after talking to some of the local residents. Hotel Mangart and Jezero were great, clean, modern hotels. Hotel Hvala had good food but is in serious need of room updates and would not get more than 2 stars in the UK. All the staff at all the hotels were very good.
We would recommend staying on in Bohinj for a few days at the end and making use of the discount visitor card for the transport systems, and some great high level walking at the top of the Vogel cable car lift

A great way to see Slovenia which is very beautiful, unspoilt and has a fascinating history, with many influences from its neighbours, Italy, Hungary, Austria and Croatia. The rivers are an indescribable blue, the mountains sweep up dramatically from basins of flat land. stunning. The food was lovely and cooked from scratch. how refreshing to be come somewhere where processed food is virtually forgotten and the land is bursting with need allotments growing fresh fruit and veg. beautifully kept towns and villages. they do love their trailing geraniums!

We did some wonderful walking through stunning scenery, along turquoise rivers and though fantastic meadows full of flowers and butterflies. We met very few other walkers and on some days none at all. Everywhere was friendly and welcoming and the organisation of transport etc. was excellent. We had a little more rain than we would have liked and it is good advice to start walking early in the morning as the thunder storms did tend to come in the afternoon. Not so impressed by the hotel Mangart, which lacked character. Even in July we were not able to walk over the pass as it was too icy. That was a disappointment as we looked forward to a tougher high walk. We went almost up to it on the last day from the other side.

Slovenia is a beautiful country. Coming from Colorado, we didn't know what to expect, but the scenery was fantastic. The mountains seem more majestic than the ones near where we live, even though the Julian Alps are not as high, they appear to be more rugged. The hotels were very good and the transport very efficient.
The hiking notes were very detailed, nearly too detailed at times, but a bit inconsistent. For example, on a day in which there was a detour due to an avalanche, a bridge that we were to cross was noted as a suspension bridge. Earlier bridges labeled suspension bridges had been just that, cables and planks across the river. In this case the supposed 'suspension bridge' was a roadway bridge that had pilings in the river. We passed it up and walked several km out of the way before discovering the mistake. It is important to note that the language used in the notes is written for a UK audience. For example, the term pavement, which Americans would equate with concrete or tarmac, doesn't mean the same thing. On the same day mentioned above the term 'pavement' is used to denote 'sidewalk' along a road or highway. So, when the notes said 'when the pavement ends' we interpreted that to mean the roadway turned to dirt. It didn't. We figured it out, but it caused confusion.
All that notwithstanding, we all enjoyed the trip and our appetite for trekking is not diminished. I have already been looking for similar treks in other locales.
The

Enjoyed a fantastic week's walks discovering the secrets of Slovenia - a unique country that has it all - alpine peaks, bubbling rivers, glacial lakes, and miles of unspoiled countryside! would not hesitate to recommend this trip.

Excellent, well organised holiday. We were unfortunate to spend the last two night in Bohinj. Most of Slovenia seemed to decide to spend the weekend there. Having had a great tranquil walking holiday until Bohinj, we found the last day out of character with the rest of our stay.

Beautiful country with most hospitable folk.
Walking gentle - the most challenging walking option was not possible because of heavy snow.
Would love to do again in more seasonal weather.
M-tours made a couple of mistakes (see next box) but were profusely apologetic and did us proud. Their taxi-drivers were most informative & fascinating.

Slovenia is a really beautiful country and we were delighted by the care taken to keep it that way by the Slovenian authorities. We feel that we saw parts of the countryside we would never have found without Headwater's agents' assistance and local knowledge. The hotels were all of an excellent standard and it was a most enjoyable and interesting holiday.

If you are a beginner cyclist the route is great but the bikes make it feel hard as they are too heavy and too highly geared. Otherwise the route is fantastic and well signed. The scenery is great all of the way.

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